The Muslim Council of Malawi has lashed out at the Roman Catholic Church for its failure to include matters of attacks and killings of people with albinism in the country in contents of its recent Pastoral Letter.
The letter circulated and read out in all Catholic Churches today, has come on the list of epistles the church traditionally releases talking against ills of the country, setting out the church’s stand and also citing possible ways to iron out given problems.
However the Muslim community has turned its ire on the Catholic Church for omitting talk of albino attacks.
Ironically this has come after a Catholic Priest was recently arrested over his feared involvement in the merciless murder of one MacDonald Masambuka who also happens to be a Muslim.
” We feel that the Catholic Church could have included the missing and brutal murders of people with albinism. Just recently our Muslim brother late Masambuka was murdered and one of suspect is a Reverend Catholic Priest. The nation may wish to know that Machinga district has registered the highest number of killings of people with albinism. We are aware that if it was a politician of any political party, the Catholic Church would have advocated for impeachment even though not proven guilty in the court of law” reads the statement signed by
National Chairman Sheikh Yasin Katungwe and Publicist Mulli Bwanali.
It adds: ” We feel the Catholic Church could have assured Malawians through this Pastoral letter measures they have put in place to protect people with albinism “.
But immediately after the arrest of Father Thomas Muhosha a few weeks ago, the Catholic Church through the Episcopal Conference of Malawi announced of a suspension of the priest and also emphasized that the church condemns in its strongest terms any attacks on any human being.
Why are judging Chaponda before his case is finalized? Why not say something about sexual activities by their priests? If there’s a rotten church in the world it is Catholic Church. They don’t emulate Jesus who refused to be associated with earthly kings because he knew that they are all rotten.
I think we are getting this with wrong perceptions, from my understanding the albino killings did not involve the catholic church but rather a catholic priest who is now on bail and suspended from conducting priesthood work. Just the same as some of the suspects who are in custody who did the actual killing of masambuka are muslims by faith including his own elder brother. So should we say the moslems are killing each other? no!! these are individuals and not representing the religion or church. Moreover, the catholic church released a statement soon after the arrest of the priest condenming the involvement of their priest and their commitment to assist so that justice prevails. If you go to prison now and ask those already convicted already on cases involving murders of albinons you willl find that there are people from different faith groups and denominations. I feel the pastrol letter and this issue are quite different things at all.
There’s freedom of expression for everyone in Malawi, this include the freedom of Catholic church to write what they can, same as the freedom of the moslem faith to write a pastoral letter, support one criticise one, or raise issued prominent to them directly to government or citizens or followers, whatever is the most effective way, wether it is by stinging the catholic church or by stinging the government. Did catholic church leave the issue for a reason let them explain. However most of the actually albino killers will also belongs to a denomination. And statistics would show which denomination they came from most, however the issue is a Catholic priest implicated in the issue of conspiracy to murder is sensitive enough that’s why the church excommunicated him and denounced the act on the spot. Is killing of albino mainly a government, funding, police, cultural problem? I think it is caused by clinging to the wrong traditional superstition, and the result is that it is dealt inefficiently however it is complex to deal with, but since the govt financial resources are misused and corruptly divirted the government take the share of the blae. If catholic church failed to raise the issue in pastoral letter then will wait for their explanation but can’t be because their raised it already separately because so are the other issues in it. The pastoral letter is not a spokesman of Malawi citizenry, please pressurise your member of Parliament to raise it oarliament however since the pastoral letter is to all Malawians it should have u included the issue and a portion the 50% of blame to govt funding and dealing , 40% to the beliefs I each one of us who believes in the myth, 10 % in the police inefficiency.
I agree with the Muslim community. The brutal murder of Masambuka has revealed that catholic church is also responsible for Malawi’s woes. Mbulu kapena fisi kubisala muchikopa cha nkhosa.